2008 Summer Olympics In Beijing China Blog

Tight security as Olympic torch arrives in Beijing (EuroNews)
If protests have cast a shadow over China’s preparations for this summer’s Olympic’s there was no evidence of it as the torch arrived in Beijing from Greece this…

Vistakon parent offering Olympic trip (BizJournals)
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., whose Vistakon division produces Acuvue brand contact lenses, is conducting a sweepstakes to send four winners and their guests to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

300 protest China’s human rights violations (Boston Globe)
A mock Olympic torch relay drew about 300 protesters to Boston Common yesterday to rally against China’s alleged human rights violations as the country prepares to host the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Laredo Swim Club 2008 Short Course Winter Junior Olympics Tourney Results (Laredo Morning Times)
Forty-one swimmers from the Laredo Swim Club competed at the junior olympic meet, placing second, two spots better than last year” finish.In the last two seasons, the club has placed fourth in the 2007 Junior Olympics winter meet, third in the 2007 junior olympics summer meet, and second in the March 2008 meet held at the Corpus Christi Natatorium.

Panda cubs set to charm in China (Channel 4)
A group of cuddly panda cubs is guaranteed to charm visitors flocking to China for the Beijing Olympics.

Dwain Chaimbers turns to rugby league despite Olympic hope (Daily Record)
Dwain Chambers today revealed he was “optimistic” that he would be able to compete in the Olympics this summer. Chambers has begun a one-month trial with engage Super League strugglers Castleford Tigers but admitted a legal challenge to his Olympic ban for failing a drugs test is “likely.”

Boycott Beijing Olympics, majority tells Star Poll (The Sudbury Star)
Last week, Star Poll asked readers: “Should Canada boycott the Beijing Olympics over China’s actions against Tibetan protesters?” A slight majority, 48 per cent, of online respondents said yes, 42 per cent said no and 11 per cent were not sure. An elderly female […]

Olympic Torch Arrives in Beijing (The Daily Comet)
A paramilitary police officer stands guard next to a stage during the preparations for the arrival of the Olympic torch to China, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Sunday, March 30, 2008. Beijing is ratcheting up security ahead of the Olympic torch’s arrival on Monday in the Summer Games host city.

British cycling must spread the word of its success (Times Online)
Let s play make-believe for a second and make two big assumptions. First, let s pretend that the track cycling team are the only athletes that we send to Beijing to represent Great Britain in the Olympics this summer.

Olympic Torch Arrives in Beijing (The Daily Comet)
A paramilitary police officer stands guard next to a stage during the preparations for the arrival of the Olympic torch to China, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square Sunday, March 30, 2008. Beijing is ratcheting up security ahead of the Olympic torch’s arrival on Monday in the Summer Games host city.

Olympic flame begins marathon tour (Deutsche Welle)
Greece has handed on the Olympic flame to China, the hosts of the 2008 Summer Games, despite attempts by pro-Tibet demonstrators to disrupt the ceremony.

Today’s Article on Christian Science: The Olympics’ eternal flame (The Christian Science Monitor)
A Christian Science perspective on daily life.

Trail to Beijing; Outspoken Bend mountain biker Adam Craig is vying to make the U.S. Olympic team this summer (The Bulletin)
Adam Craig holds nothing back whether he s charging up and down the trail or discussing the politics of Olympic selection.Craig is getting ready for this spring s 2008 Mountain Bike World Cup series, which will serve as the Olympic qualifier for the United States team. But the Bend resident believes he should be preparing for this year s Summer Olympics in Beijing, not preparing to qualify for …

Tibet Protesters Try to Disrupt Olympic Ceremony (New York Times)
Greek officials handed over the Olympic flame to organizers of the Beijing Summer Games on Sunday, but demonstrators sought to disrupt the ceremony.

Before the Olympics, a Parade of Companies (NYTimes.com via Yahoo! Finance)
By the time the Olympic torch arrives in Beijing in August, the city will have largely completed its transformation into a modern metropolis.

Rice opposes China Olympics boycott (Daily Telegraph)
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she opposes boycotting the Beijing Olympics over China’s actions in Tibet in order to avoid insulting the Chinese people.

China accuses Dalai Lama of taking Olympics ‘hostage’ (Hindustan Times)
China asks the Dalai Lama to end activities to “sabotage” the 2008 Olympics before holding any talks with him.

Campers can sample Olympic activities (Calgary Sun)
CODA summer camps offer opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else. Whether campers enjoy a general passion for the outdoors or burn with elite athletic aspirations Canadian Olympic Development Association’s summer camps are the perfect way to spend the summer.

Report: Olympic torch plane leaves Beijing (UPI)
The Olympic torch plane for the 2008 Summer Games left Beijing International Saturday bound for Athens, Greece.

McCarty grandson to play (Dexter Daily Statesman)
When the 2008 Olympics kick off this summer in Beijing, China, a little part of Dexter, Missouri will be represented.

China deserves to host Olympics, says Dalai Lama (Express India)
Dalai Lama sought to allay China’s fears that Tibetans might cause trouble when Olympic torch comes to India.

Merkel to skip Olympic Games opening ceremony (EARTHtimes.org)
Berlin - Neither German Chancellor Angela Merkel nor her foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will attend the opening ceremony for this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, aides said Friday. Their plans have been closely watched amid Western dis…

Fernandez left off U.S. Olympic softball team (Los Angeles Daily News)
Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic gold medallist who has been the face of the United States national softball team since she graduated from UCLA in 1995, was left off the final 15-person roster for this year’s Summer Olympics in Beijing.

China’s Tibet crackdown clouds Olympics (Moldova.org)
Concern about China’s crackdown in Tibet threatens Beijing’s efforts to hold the Summer Olympics without controversy, dissidents and others said.With the world attention focused on the Tibetan unrest, the Games, instead of showing China in a favorable light, could become a reminder the Communist country’s Leninist policies still remain in place, The Washington Post reported.This is exactly what …

Nigeria: Singabele Praises Olympic Eagles, Falcons (AllAfrica.com)
Nigeria Football Association member, Peter Singabele has commended Nigeria’s Under-23 team and the Falcons for picking Beijing 2008 Olympic tickets to represent Africa at the summer Games.

Leaders will not attend Beijing Olympics, yet are careful not to be part of boycott (Baltic Times)
Tallinn - President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip have announced they will not attend this summer s Beijing Olympics, although both Estonian leaders warned that their actions should not be interpreted as being part of a possible international boycott.

Majority of Canadians oppose boycott of Beijing Olympics: poll (AFP via Yahoo! News)
A majority of Canadians oppose a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this summer over China’s crackdown on Tibetan protests.

Don’t sabotage Olympics, then we’ll talk: China to Dalai Lama (Express India)
As US President George W Bush nudged it to talk to the Dalai Lama, China added a new pre-condition for dialogue asking the monk to end activities to ’sabotage’ the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

UPDATE: Olympics Probably Won’t Revive China’s Swooning Stock Markets (Nasdaq)
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) — China’s already battered stock markets could tumble further against a darkening economic backdrop ahead of August’s Olympics Games, as the U.S. recession begins to take its toll and China further tightens its monetary policies to combat runaway inflation.

Former Admiral P.Kikareas of the Hellenic Navy, The Architect of the Global Security at the Olympic Games in Athens … (PRWeb)
Admiral P.Kikareas appeals to all governments, peace organizations, the United Nations, and every group of diverse beliefs and interests to unite in creating a peaceful venue at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. (PRWeb Mar 28, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/03/prweb810414.htm

Protests rightly focus on the Olympic Games (The Prague Post)
This summer s Olympic Games are supposed to be China s coming-out party, with elaborate plans in place to show off the country s growing economic and political strength.

Olympic boycott could squander political opportunities (Colorado State Collegian)
Although the Olympics are about the athletes and the spirit of competition, it will be hard to ignore the politics during the upcoming summer games. Politics have, fortunately, taken center stage as the initial phases of the games have begun.

Should Toronto have been awarded the 2008 Olympics? (Slam! Sports)
By all rights, most of them human, this should have been the summer of Toronto’s Olympic Games.

Local professor helps Olympic athletes (KOTA Rapid City)
Dr. James Hesson’s been to the Olympic Training Center 11 times, in 15 years. Much of his work this year was to prepare athletes for this year’s summer Olympics in Beijing.

Leaders will not attend Beijing Olympics, yet are careful not to be part of boycott (Baltic Times)
Tallinn - President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip have announced they will not attend this summer s Beijing Olympics, although both Estonian leaders warned that their actions should not be interpreted as being part of a possible international boycott.

Baby Learns Chinese: Create Your Own Junior Achievement Olympian This Summer (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
LOS ANGELES—-This summer the world’s attention will be focused on China, the home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The focus on China will extend beyond sports to China’s culture and its complex language.

Delightful dilemma: MLK band has to pick between playing at Olympics or fest in China (Detroit News)
DETROIT — As if on cue to boost the city’s spirits, Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School’s symphonic and marching band has earned an invitation to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China — but they’ll have to choose between that and a trip to Beijing already planned for July.

Olympics probably won’t revive China’s swooning stock markets (MENAFN)
Olympics probably won’t revive China’s swooning stock markets

UPDATE: Olympics Probably Won’t Revive China’s Swooning Stock Markets (Nasdaq)
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) — China’s already battered stock markets could tumble further against a darkening economic backdrop ahead of August’s Olympics Games, as the U.S. recession begins to take its toll and China further tightens its monetary policies to combat runaway inflation.

Lenovo Auctions Off Exclusive Olympic-Themed Laptops (Local Tech Wire)
Research Triangle Park, N.C. Lenovo is commemorating the countdown to this year’s summer Olympic Games in Beijing with a philanthropic auction of 34 limited-edition notebook PCs featuring an Olympic torch-themed cover.

Delightful dilemma: MLK band has to pick between playing at Olympics or fest in China (Detroit News)
DETROIT — As if on cue to boost the city’s spirits, Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School’s symphonic and marching band has earned an invitation to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China — but they’ll have to choose between that and a trip to Beijing already planned for July.

Lenovo Auctions Off Exclusive Olympic-Themed Laptops (Local Tech Wire)
Research Triangle Park, N.C. Lenovo is commemorating the countdown to this year’s summer Olympic Games in Beijing with a philanthropic auction of 34 limited-edition notebook PCs featuring an Olympic torch-themed cover.

Local professor helps Olympic athletes (KOTA Rapid City)
Dr. James Hesson’s been to the Olympic Training Center 11 times, in 15 years. Much of his work this year was to prepare athletes for this year’s summer Olympics in Beijing.

UPDATE: Olympics Probably Won’t Revive China’s Swooning Stock Markets (Nasdaq)
SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) — China’s already battered stock markets could tumble further against a darkening economic backdrop ahead of August’s Olympics Games, as the U.S. recession begins to take its toll and China further tightens its monetary policies to combat runaway inflation.

Threat of Olympic boycott doesn’t deter Manitoba athletes (CBC)
More than a dozen top Manitoba athletes are staying on the road to qualification for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, despite calls from some quarters for a boycott of the games over China’s handling of unrest in Tibet.

Countries should boycott Olympics (Daily Nebraskan)
For as long as I can remember, the Summer Olympics has always been one of my favorite sporting events.

China lashes out at British press for comparing Beijing Olympics to 1936 Nazi Berlin Games (Daily Mail)
China has lashed out at an editorial by an ex-British Cabinet Minister which likened the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Games in Nazi Germany. Michael Portillo invoked the use of the Olympics as a ’showcase for Nazism’

Protests rightly focus on the Olympic Games (The Prague Post)
This summer s Olympic Games are supposed to be China s coming-out party, with elaborate plans in place to show off the country s growing economic and political strength.

Tibets exiled leaders say ‘yes’ to Olympic Games (EuroNews)
Exiled Tibetan leaders say the Beijing Olympic Games should go ahead this summer.

Delightful dilemma: MLK band has to pick between playing at Olympics or fest in China (Detroit News)
DETROIT — As if on cue to boost the city’s spirits, Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School’s symphonic and marching band has earned an invitation to the 2008 Summer Olympics in China — but they’ll have to choose between that and a trip to Beijing already planned for July.

Beaumont-, Hemet-area law enforcement take a shine to Special Olympics (The Press-Enterprise)
Law enforcement officers from the San Gorgonio Pass and San Jacinto Valley will participate in a central Riverside County torch run to raise money for Special Olympics athletes April 5.

China lashes out at British press for comparing Beijing Olympics to 1936 Nazi Berlin Games (Daily Mail)
China has lashed out at an editorial by an ex-British Cabinet Minister which likened the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Games in Nazi Germany. Michael Portillo invoked the use of the Olympics as a ’showcase for Nazism’

Forgeus goes for Olympic trials (WABI Bangor)
THIS WILL BE A BIG WEEKEND COMING UP FOR LAUREN FORGUES. THE UMAINE SOPHOMORE MIGHT BE A LONG SHOT FOR THE US OLYMPIC TEAM THIS SUMMER, BUT THE RACEWALKER WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO QUALIFY FOR THE OLYMPIC TRIALS. SHE’LL HAVE THAT CHANCE IN OREGON THIS WEEKEND. SHE’LL RACE IN THE 20 KILOMETER EVENT….. THAT’S ABOUT 12 1/2 MILES. SHE THINKS SHE’LL BE FAST ENOUGH TO REACH THE QUALIFYING STANDARD …

Majority of Canadians oppose boycott of Beijing Olympics: poll (AFP via Yahoo! News)
A majority of Canadians oppose a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this summer over China’s crackdown on Tibetan protests.

3:20 p.m. Duarte wins belt, pair preparing for Olympics (Pacific Daily News)
3:20 p.m., March 26 Joe Duarte won the 155 pound lightweight championship last weekend and RJ Blas and Maria Dunn are on their way to the Olympics this summer.

Cuba to give Beijng Olympic boxing hopefuls London test (Times Online)
Great Britain’s Olympic hopefuls will be given a tough test before their trip to Beijing this summer after Cuba accepted an invitation for a full international match in London in May. Britain’s progress in the past year means that, with one qualifying event remaining, they have seven representatives at this summer’s Games - two more than their combined total in the past three Olympics - but no …

China vows secure Olympics torch relay as activists protest at lighting ceremony (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
China pledged strict security measures to ensure its segment of the Beijing Olympics torch relay will not be marred by protests similar to the one at Monday’s lighting ceremony in Greece.

China: Targeting of Chinese Lawyers Suggests Tightening Stranglehold on Activists Before Olympics, Save Amnesty … (Amnesty International)
Attacks and abductions of peaceful activists in Beijing by suspected security officials make a mockery of official promises to improve human rights in the run-up to the Olympics, Amnesty International said today. The attacks are part of an ongoing crackdown in China against human rights lawyers and other activists that includes intensified censorship.

Chinese find no sport in linking Tibet to Olympics (Reuters via Yahoo! Singapore News)
BEIJING - Chinese citizens are voicing outrage over international debate linking recent protests in Tibet to their prized Beijing 2008 Olympics, accusing outsiders of trying to spoil their country’s landmark event.

Summer Olympics off to dirty start (Summit Daily News)
The International Olympic Committee’s president, Jacque Rogge, said last week he knew there would be “discussions” when the IOC ago awarded the 2008 Summer Olympics to China, arguably the worst nation on the planet when it comes to human rights.